reaction to "HR lessons from Steve Jobs."

"HR lessons from Steve Jobs" excerpt from What Would Steve Jobs Do?: How the Steve Jobs Way Can Inspire Anyone to Think Differently and Win by Peter Sander (McGraw Hill)] 

When I first started reading this article, I was hesitant to follow Steve Jobs lesson/employee finding procedure, but I read on and realized that I did in fact agree with his methods. I've been finding for the last 7 years that the people that are of the most benefit are the ones that are unbeknownst moments of interaction. I can't tell you the number of times that I have been sitting places and observing some of the same people walking by on a regular interval to only meet them months to years later and become friends or coworkers. Whenever that happens, it actually is super fascinating to me. Then I often ponder if it was all with reason that I saw them so many times before yet not know them.

"recruit a team of diverse, well-traveled, and highly skilled pirates, and they’ll follow you anywhere."

The line above is pretty solid but also true. The number of officer teams/groups of individuals that I have had around me over the years, whether I had a "higher title" or not is larger than I can count on my hands. Most of the teams were full of individuals that did not have their lives together; there often was at least one drama focused person, if not two individuals that were always sparing.

What often worked well with these teams, were the varied minds that came together to solve problems. It wasn't necessarily a walk in the park, but our jobs/tasks always got done. There were always at least a few individuals who rose to more lead roles, but we all had our spot. 85% of the officers that I have had over the years have been dedicated to the various organization causes and that truly is why we succeeded. A great group of individuals means nothing if they aren't invested and don't feel passionate at all about the end goal.

You can never replace true dedication and those are individuals that I have never broken ties with; they are the individuals that will come in handy one day—keep them close, but not a choke hold. :)